Mine
by TheSoundofMusic
Summary: Not all relationships are loving and good-there is a dark, twisted underside that lurks where is shouldn't. Maybe I knew it all along-and maybe I didn't; either way, things weren't supposed to end like this. Is it wrong, to love someone you shouldn't? Claire X Gray X ?
1. Chapter 1

_An alluring, dark voice comes from the tall stranger before me. _

"_Where are you going?" he asks with interest, curious eyes seeking mine. Taking a step back, I hesitate before replying steadily, "Is that any of your business?"_

_He chuckles, the low sound winding through her head as he takes a step closer and looks down into my face. One hand already reaching for my hair, he whispers sinisterly, "But it is my business, Love. You'd do well to remember that."_

_**~~~~Claire~~~~**_

My eyes flash open in an instant, and I can feel my heart beating a mile a minute. As I sit up in bed and let my hair fall across my shoulders, I shiver and wrap my arms around myself.

_What was with that dream?_

Wanting to shake the feeling off of my skin, I quickly climb out of bed and go to the bathroom, brushing my teeth vigorously as if that will take away the memory of the nightmare. Of course, it doesn't do anything but make my gums sore, and I make a wry face in the mirror before spitting into the sink and heading to my kitchen to make some coffee.

I knew eating half a carton of ice cream before going to bed last night was a bad idea.

As I turn on my TV and put the volume on low, I grab the nearby newspaper before the image of my dream comes back and I shudder violently. It's times like this when I wish I didn't live alone; I'd have someone to talk to and maybe I wouldn't feel so bored all the time. Sure, I've got a few people I know from work, but even though I've lived in this place for two years now I just haven't been able to connect with anyone. That, and most of my time has been spent working as well.

Sometimes, I feel like it's such a boring and monotonous life, and while the thought dogs me I feel like I can't do anything about it. The more I think about it, the more it irritates me, and finally I explode. "Isn't there anything exciting in this world?" I complain, throwing my hands up in the air in frustration.

The newspaper goes flying around the room, and I grumble as I realize I'll have to pick it up when something catches my eye. I clamber over my table and snatch the paper, clutching it closer as I read the words, 'Refreshing farm life'.

The rest of the ad goes on and on about other things, like how boring life is and how a farm life could change all that, but I'm not longer paying much attention to the words on the page.

Is this it? Is this the change that I'm looking for?

For a second, the thought of leaving all I know behind daunts me a bit. Sure, city living can be boring, but it's comfortable and secure. Can I really leave all of this behind to go live on a farm? Sure, the ad says that it's in good condition, but even so I know nothing of farming. The more I question it, the more I begin to doubt it until my eyes rest on the words, "Tired of the same pattern of days?"

Those seven words click in my mind and I begin to tremble with excitement. I've been tired of this life for so long-how could change possibly be bad for me? Having made my decision, I rush to the phone and eagerly pick it up, dialing the number on the page.

It's high time that I started to really live, and I'm not going to let this opportunity get away from me.

* * *

The sight that greets my eyes has me frozen in shock. As I gaze across the desolate, weed-ridden field I feel my anger rising, and it finally bursts out as I scream as loud as I can in frustration, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"

After that, my screaming becomes incomprehensible sounds of rage, and I'm so busy making noise that I don't realize that someone else is on the farm until I hear the clearing of a throat. I quiet down and look quickly to my right, suddenly noticing the presence of someone else on my new farm. It's a short, pompous looking man decked out in all red. He's got something of a mustache and some glasses, and he puffs himself up importantly before asking, "Hello there! I am Thomas, the mayor Mineral Town. Are you a tourist?"

"Whaa…?" Due to my screaming and my shock, I've lost the ability to communicate efficiently like a normal human being, so the sound that comes out of my mouth doesn't even make it into a full word. For a second the man looks at me before asking again, "You're not a tourist?"

I shake my head and try to pull my head together. Whoever he is, he must clearly be important if he's here talking to me with such authority in his voice. Slowly, I say, "I'm not a tourist, no. I'm Claire Robbins…and I bought this farm from an ad but…"

He looks astonished for a second before he bursts into loud laughter, taking me by surprise. As he laughs raucously, I watch him clutching his stomach before he howls, "You're the new farmer, eh? You've been tricked!" As I stare on in shock, he calms down a bit and says, "This used to be a beautiful farm, but ever since the owner left four years ago it's gone to shambles. The ad was a lie, and you believed it! You're so gullible-!"

I've had about all I can take at this point, and he chokes on his words as I smile sweetly, my hammer pounding his foot to the ground roughly. As I swing my hammer back up onto my shoulder, I put a hand on my hip and say in a dangerous voice, "You wouldn't have had anything to do with such a slanderous ad, now would you Mayor Thomas?" He begins to shake his head and hop backwards, frantically waving his hands in surrender as I stalk after him menacingly, swinging my hammer nonchalantly in one hand as I glare at him.

He doesn't say anything else as I stop and turn my back to him, looking out at my new farm. In a cold voice, I say, "Get off my land, Mayor, or I might just do something I'll regret later."

With a squeak of panic, he hobbles off as fast as he can, leaving me to survey the terrible fate that I seem to have been burdened with. The idea of living on this farm is daunting, especially considering that the house isn't a house at all but is really more of a shack instead. I crouch down and sigh, my head in my hands as the dog I bought romps up to me and licks my elbow encouragingly.

I smile at it before picking it up and saying, "Well, there's no looking back now." As I carry the small creature with me over to the little hut that I now have to call home, I want to lament the fact that I've basically been subjected to living on a rundown farm where I'll have to struggle to survive. My only hope now is that I can make some friends in this town, although if the mayor goes around talking about my temper I probably won't make very many friends.

Somehow, I get the feeling that hitting him with that hammer wasn't in my best interests.

The puppy wriggles in my arms, as if it's dying to be set down on the ground again so it can run off, but I won't let it. This is my family now, and I don't plan on losing it.

I was lonely once-and I don't want to be lonely again.


	2. Chapter 2

_**~~Gray~~**_

When my alarm goes off, I groan and complain before finally shutting it off as soon as I can. It doesn't really matter much of course, since my roommate gets up even earlier than I do to leave for the church, but I know that if I leave it on it'll only bother Ann later when she tries to hunt down the source of the sound to shut it off.

As I hop into the shower and get ready for the day, I grumble to myself. I'm not looking forward to work at all. I've been stuck here, learning blacksmithing from my grandfather since last spring and things aren't improving at all. At first, I was actually kind of excited to learn something.

Yeah, sure, I'm in the middle of nowhere, but all the same at least I could say I have a job. And with a job, I can take care of myself not rely on anyone else.

Even if this place is kind of dull, I don't think I'd mind staying here if I could at least be good at SOMETHING. And once I finish my training, I can just move somewhere else, somewhere exciting and I won't have to deal with this boring, stupid place any longer.

By the time I make it down to my grandfather's place, he's already got everything set up and is working hard at crafting a tool. He barks a 'good morning' at me before turning his back to me and completely ignoring me the way he does whenever he's working on something. I just roll my eyes and head over to my station.

We work that way for a few hours, each of us silent and ignoring each other until he finishes his tool and comes over to observe my work. My trash bin is already piled high with shards and bits of metal as I've managed to completely mess up everything I've started this morning, and I'm already feeling kind of pissed off at myself.

It doesn't help when he starts yelling, and all my anger begins to transfer over to him, and I start to fight back like I do every day when he comes over to look at my work.

We're so busy fighting at first that neither one of us hears the door chime, signaling that there's a customer.

"If you were more precise and detailed with your work, this kind of thing wouldn't happen!" My grandfather rages. "You're so useless, can't you do anything right?"

I snap back at him, leaning over to pick up more broken fragments as I snarl, "Will you just SHUT UP? I'm never going to be good enough to satisfy you anyways, I don't need your yelling to tell me that!" I grip the bill of my UMA hat tightly, and throw the shards into the trash where it clinks as it hits the other pieces in there.

At my words, my grandfather just gets angrier and yells, "Don't you speak to me that way! I won't have it! I've taken you in as an apprentice, you lazy, good-for nothing-"

I interrupt as I look up and notice that someone's standing at the door. It's a girl wearing a grungy looking pair of overalls. Her long blonde hair falls carelessly around her, almost hiding her face. I can't really see what she looks like as my grandfather's in the way, but either way I figure ignoring her presence isn't a good thing. Turning back to him, I say, "Hey Gramps, I think we've got a customer."

At that, he quiets and turns around before beaming and putting on his shopkeeper face.

"Can I help you?" he asks, and the girl shakes her head, before pushing the hair back. I swallow for a second as I get the first really good glimpse of her face; she's a lot prettier than I expected her to be. What's someone like her doing here?

As if to answer my unspoken question, she holds her hand out and says, "I'm the new farmer, Claire Robbins."

My grandfather shakes her head, seeming pleased about the fact that there's someone on the farm as he replies, "It's nice to meet you, I'm Saibara the blacksmith. Come here for your tool upgrades, or when you want something made."

The fact that my grandfather is nice to everyone but me gets me even more riled up, and I drawl out, "So you're the one who bought that poor excuse of a farm? That place is a piece of shit."

I watch with some satisfaction as my grandfather's face heats up with anger, but then I look over at the girl and realize I might have said something to make her cry.

I'm surprised when she marches up to me and puts her hands on her hips, staring up at me feistily while demanding, "Can you say that again? I don't think I heard you right the first time." Her voice is cold, ice dripping from every word, and I can tell that she means a fight.

I'm not about to back down from a girl, so I say flatly, "That place is a dump." I watch as her pretty face twists into a smirk as she says in a haughty tone, "At least it's not as shitty as the work you're doing here, if that trash bin is any indication," she says, nodding at my bin of scraps.

As I feel an angry blush rise to my cheeks, she steps back and heads to the door. Right before she goes out, she calls over her shoulder, "I don't mean to be rude, but I don't think you care, do you?" As she slams the door behind her, I suddenly feel guilty.

I wasn't meaning to hurt her feelings; all I could think about was making my grandpa mad. I've made a terrible mistake, and I know I have to fix it somehow. My grandfather scolds me, saying, "Gray, what a terrible way to make an impression!"

While I guilty go back to my work in silence, my mind turns back to her. She didn't cry, nor did she look scared. When I looked down into her blue eyes, I saw a fighter. The thought intrigues me slightly, but I dismiss it quickly and focus on my work instead.

* * *

When I finally get off work, I decide it's in my best interest to go towards the farm first and hope that she's there. If nothing else, I at least owe her an apology for the way I acted. I may hate a lot of things about this town, but she's not one of them; it isn't as if I've known her long enough to have a reason to really hate her anyways.

Of course, by now she probably thinks I'm a pessimistic jerk, but I can't really blame that on anyone but myself.

I'm heading off towards her farm when I hear unfamiliar laughter coming from the yard across the street. It's definitely not Rick's laughter; I'd know his squawk anytime, and this is a girl's voice at that. It can't be the sister's laughter either, since she twitters and doesn't really all out laugh like this person is doing.

Curiosity gets the better of me, and I decide that a quick peek won't hurt before creeping over towards the fence and looking as closely as I can without getting caught.

It's the girl. Of course it's the girl.

What was her name again? Claire? Right.

She tosses her hair over her shoulder, the long golden strands flying carelessly in the breeze while she laughs whole-heartedly at something Rick said, and I can see even from my far away position that the chicken boy is pleased that he's managed to make such a pretty girl laugh the way she is.

I make a face at this, before I see her wave and head off towards the exit of the farm, and I know that if I don't move quickly she'll run into me and things will get ugly fast. Somehow, I can't see her accepting my apology so easily. Quickly, I dash back across the street to the empty lot and jump in the nearest set of bushes, watching as she walks off the farm and heads to her left. She's definitely heading home; why else would she go that way?

Feeling far too much like some sort of stalker, I walk quietly behind her until we've both reached her property. From near the barn, I hide in the shadows and watch as she screams the name of her puppy, the animal running up to her and flinging itself lovingly into her outstretched arms. She falls to the ground, laughing and not seeming to care in the least that she'd dirtied her overalls. They were dirty to begin with, of course, but it's kind of refreshing to see a girl who isn't perfectly immaculate.

My heart's pounding at the thought of being yelled at, but I brace myself and step out of the shadows anyways. This of course sets her dog to yapping at me, and that in turn gets her to turn her head to look at me. Her pink lips fall open in surprise, before she rolls over and jumps to her feet, looking somewhat embarrassed at having been caught rolling around in the dirt with her pet.

"Can I help you?" she asks cooly, brushing dirt off her overalls like it's no big deal. I take a deep breath before tugging my hat over my face and saying gruffly, "I came to apologize."

"Apologize?" She sounds surprised; it's like she didn't think the word 'apologize' was even in my vocabulary.

I grit my teeth a little and then say, "I'm sorry about the way I acted. It was wrong of me…so yeah. I'm sorry."

There a silence, and for a second I feel like my head's about to get bitten off when she says quietly, "Okay. Let's start again then."

I look up in surprise and blush a little when my eyes meet her blue ones, the color seeming to pierce right through me.

When did she get so close without my noticing?

With a smile, she holds her hand out and says, "I'm Claire."

"Cool. I'm Gray."

"Nice to meet you, Gray."

"Nice to meet you too…Claire."

I take my hand back as quickly as I can before she gets the idea that we can be friends, and I say, "Well, I'm done here so I'm going now. Bye."

Not giving her time to protest, I leave as fast as I can. As I walk out, I grip my hat tighter and my stride lengthens as I try to get away as quickly as possible.

I don't need to make any friends here besides Cliff and Kai. I don't need any other connections to this stupid town.

No matter how pretty that connection might be.

* * *

**So yeah...it's been like FOREVER since I've done an HM story. I mean, I did that oneshot, but I was sitting on that for quite awhile-this I literally JUST started. Not to mention I've got my sequel that I'm working on for my Spirited Away story. **

**But yeah. Disclaimers-don't own anything. **

**FABULOUS! Alright, so I'm just gonna let this one go and if people read it and review AWESOME, if not, oh well. It won't be the end of my life, just a little knock off the ol' self esteem but every now and then that can be good too for some humbling. **

**Okay, now I'm really done. Until the next update, ciao!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**~~~~Claire~~~~**_

As I watch Gray walk away awkwardly, his shoulders hunched over as he hurries off, I can't help but smirk at it all.

Yeah, he was kind of a brat this morning, but now that I've seen how bashful he was about apologizing I get the feeling that he's just putting up a tough front. Then again, the way he hurried off so quickly has me wondering about whether or not he's someone I really want to go and make friends with.

I'm straightforward and blunt, and don't take people's crap but it doesn't make me any less social than Rick's talkative little sister, Popuri. Sure, I just met a few people today, but even I can tell that there's no one here like Gray. The idea in itself is interesting, but I decide that right now it's not worth pursuing.

It isn't as if I came here to dig into other people's lives.

* * *

The next morning dawns all too early for me, and I roll out of bed with a groan before barely catching myself as I nearly hit the floor. Half of me wants to blame the tiredness on the shoddy bed, but then again I've never been much of a morning person to begin with.

I have to give it to this shack though; as tiny and crumbly as it is, it's still a lot brighter than my tiny apartment ever was. As I stretch and trek over to the bathroom, my puppy nips playfully at my ankles, and as his cold little tongue licks my skin I give a shrieking sort of giggle before leaning down and sweeping him into my arms.

"Come on then, Diesel, you can keep me company while I brush my teeth."

The little puppy wriggles in my arms before climbing onto my shoulder and giving my cheek a loving lick. Despite only having had him for two days, I've already fallen half in love with the little creature, taking only a few minutes to decide on his name.

Once I've finished breakfast and everything's in order, I grab my old rucksack and walk out the door, Diesel prancing along behind me. I grab his rump before he can run off and I squat down to give him a serious lecture as I do so.

"Now Diesel," I say in a motherly tone, "You stay on the farm and don't go digging in places you can't get out of. Run along now, and don't get too dirty or I'll have to give you a bath, and you wouldn't like that very much!"

Diesel licks my wrist to signal his understanding, and as I let go and straighten up I look around before heading over towards the town.

As I walk up and down the somewhat empty streets, I smile as bravely as I can. I met everyone yesterday and quelled any rumors about me that there might have been, but all the same I know that they're all going to be watching me for awhile to see what I'll do. It isn't every day that someone new comes into a town this small, especially to a rundown farm like the one that I've purchased. I'm so busy trying to look confident that I don't pay attention to where I'm going and I end up running into someone, hard.

The two of us fall back, and I throw my hair out of my face to apologize when my gaze meets an all too familiar scowl.

It's Gray.

Of course it's Gray that I run into first thing in the morning.

For a second he stares at me like he's surprised to see me off of my farm, then he clears his throat and says, "Are you alright? I hit you pretty hard."

"Wha-?" I'm confused for a second before I see his eyebrow go up and I quickly mutter, "Oh, yeah, no I'm fine. Yeah…I'm fine."

The right corner of his mouth twitches, as if he's trying hard not to smirk as he leans to the side and tilts his head at me, saying, "Oh? You seemed a little confused there for a second."

I cross my arms and say, "Well…Just a little. But now I'm definitely alright. What are you doing up so early anyways?"

"I work at the Blacksmith's, remember?" he jerks his head towards the Blacksmith's shop, looking somewhat disgusted at the idea. I want to talk to him more about it, and figure out exactly what's with his whole attitude, but he straightens up and sighs loudly before giving me a bored look.

"I'll see you around," he says, sounding like he rather wouldn't. As he steps around me, I watch him go with narrowed eyes until he disappears into the shop, the door closing gently behind him with a happy little chiming sound. I stand there on the path for a bit, thinking hard about exactly how I'm going to be nice to someone so grumpy when I hear a surprised voice behind me say my name.

"Claire?" It's Popuri's girlish voice that reaches my ears, and I turn to see her standing in the pathway, giving me a curious look. Before I can say anything, her face breaks into a cheerful smile and she says, "Why don't you come inside? We won't be open for awhile but I bet Mom wouldn't mind having you in for a bit and Rick's not around to bother us so we can talk!"

"Talk?" I say, not meaning to sound skeptical of the fact that the two of us probably don't have much in common, "Talk about what?"

Popuri gives me a wink before all but yanking me through her front door and into her house. Lillia looks a little surprised that I'm here so early, but when Popuri skips past her with a "Good morning, Mom!" she just smiles vaguely and watches as the two of us disappear up the stairs. There's a small hallway and a few rooms, and I can guess even before Popuri heads towards it that the door with the bright pink posters on it has got to be hers.

She all but throws me down on the bed before turning and shutting the door excitedly. Then, she whirls around to face me (her red skirt flying as she does so) before plopping down on the bed next to me and scooting closer. Eagerly, she leans in and says, "Claire, let's talk about Gray!"

"What? What about Gray?" I'm so confused right now. Just yesterday, out of Rick's earshot, she wouldn't stop going on and on about how she can't wait until summer when she can see the hottest boy in the world, and now she wants to talk about Gray? Then again, the way she's looking at me has me thinking that this question was brought on by the way I was staring after him.

Oh great, Claire. Let's give people the wrong impression right off the bat, shall we?

"There's nothing to talk about really," I say nonchalantly, shrugging as I lean back. "I just ran into him, that's all."

"You don't think he's cute? At all?"

"What? No, why would I think that?"

Popuri gives me a look before saying slyly, "Well, even I think he isn't that bad looking. Of course, he really isn't my type but like I said as far as looks go he's not doing so badly."

For a second I think about Gray. Yeah, he's tall which is nice, and despite his baggy clothing it's easy to tell that he's got some muscle that he's hiding. His eyes are a dark blue, and from what I could tell he has reddish hair.

But wait, why do I care about whether or not he's good-looking?

Shaking my head, I stand up and put a hand on my hip, saying fiercely, "Well he's not ugly, but I just don't care enough to try and look that hard at him now. I've got a farm to fix, Popuri." At my words, she seems to remember something and leaps to her feet again, clapping her hands.

Next time, I'm not standing in front of the Poultry Farm to do my thinking.

* * *

When I'm finally allowed to leave the farm, I'm labored down with two bags of feed. My pocket is a bit lighter as I've spent what was nearly the last of my money on a chicken and feed, but Rick assured me that it would all be worth it.

While I'm sure that he's right to an extent, I can't help but think bitterly of the fact that now I won't be able to afford many seeds. Then again, maybe that's in my best interest as well seeing that a chicken will last me no matter what season I'm in, and crops are more of a limited thing before I'll have to go buy a new one. A chicken is definitely not a bad investment, although as the bags slip from my grasp I begin to wonder if I should've asked for help.

It wasn't that Rick didn't offer, but I kind of couldn't stand his non-stop egg talk much longer. He's a nice guy, and his sense of family is really sweet, but I just can't bring myself to want to talk to him for longer than a few minutes without growing bored. The only thing he ever seems to talk about are chickens, or what he calls, "the majestic beasts of the farm".

I kid you not. Those are his words to describe the little beasts.

As I struggle with my purchases past the Blacksmith's, I feel the bag slipping even more before I sigh and strengthen my resolute to get to my chicken coop even sooner.

With a fresh burst of energy, I speed off as quickly as I can towards my farm.


	4. Chapter 4

_**~~Gray~~**_

I watch from the window as Claire struggles back towards her farm, two bags of chicken feed in tow while Rick waves her off the farm, promising to send an animal after her. Honestly, that dolt couldn't have carried the feed himself and just let her carry the chicken home? I'm debating whether or not to ask my grandfather if we should help when I jump a little, finding to my surprise that he's snuck up next to me and is also staring out the window.

"Gray," he orders, "Go help that young woman with her packages. Don't dawdle."

Normally I'd have a little mutiny where I reject the idea, but by the looks of things Claire can't carry the bags of feed much farther. I settle for grumbling under my breath as I stride out the door, letting it slam satisfyingly behind me.

I come up behind her, and I'm not surprised to find that she's muttering obscenities under breath while she struggles down the pathway. I'm getting ready to tap her shoulder when she grunts and throws one of the bags firmly over her shoulder to steady its position on her back.

Or at least, that's what she was trying to do.

Instead of resting better on her shoulder, the bag goes flying backwards and smacks me in the face, taking me out as I fall down on the cobblestone path. Everything's dark, but I hear her gasping before she begins to apologize frantically as if in doing so it'll make everything better.

"Oh my gosh," I hear her exclaim, "I am so sorry, just let me-"

As she tugs the bag out of the way, I mutter, "Ouch," and she gives a little shriek when she sees my face and lets go, sending the bag flying onto me once more.

"OWWWW!" I say pointedly as she apologizes even more before squatting down next to me while I sit up and rub the back of my head, somewhat embarrassed at having been taken out by a giant bag of chicken feed.

"Sorry Gray," she says with her head low, "I um…Rick…"

"Yeah, he's an idiot," I growl, but then get to my feet and grab both bags from where she's left them on the sidewalk. She stares at me incredulously as I start walking off towards her farm before I call over my shoulder, "Are you coming or what?"

She seems stunned for a second before a breath-taking smile comes over her face and she gets to her feet, happily following after me the same way a baby duck follows after its mother. I just roll my eyes and hope that she doesn't get the wrong idea.

* * *

Later on that day, she comes into the shop while I'm having another fight with my grandfather. Fights are common, but I've become more and more frustrated lately. Sometimes, it honestly feels like I really can't do anything right at all, and he doesn't help by rubbing it in.

I yell something at my grandfather and turn around to storm out the door before nearly trampling the little blond. Luckily, I catch myself in time but I can see that she looks stunned to have walked in yet again on one of our yelling matches.

Angrily, I just push her out of the way and run out while my grandfather calls behind me. As I let the door slam, I head for the one place I can go to really cool my head; the spring.

I walk as fast as I can, my head down and my hand firmly gripping my hat like it will shield me from the rest of the world. Right now, I can't be bothered to deal with anyone. Since the streets are usually empty, I don't run into anyone and as I hit the edge of the woods I already feel a little bit better.

By the time I make it to the Harvest Goddess's spring, I've calmed down a lot. There's something peaceful about being here; the sound of the waterfall and the steam that wafts from the bathhouse combine to give me a safe feeling. In fact, I feel so safe here that I don't notice at first that someone else is in the spring area with me as well.

When she speaks, it takes all my willpower to not jump as I turn around and goggle at her, surprised at her appearance.

"Hello," she says quietly, looking at me warily as if I'm some sort of vicious beast. I came here to get AWAY from people-I don't need her and her pity. I'm about to tell her off for it when she walks up next to me and casually kicks off her shoes. Before I can react to what she's doing, she peels off her socks and rolls up the pant legs of her overalls, sitting down on the bank with a thump before plunging her calves into the spring.

"COLD!" Claire shrieks, before smiling a little to herself and kicking her feet in the water. Then, in a quieter voice she says, "This spring doesn't belong to you, so you can't kick me out just because you want to be alone."

Blondie's got a point. Besides that, it's not really her that I'm angry at, and since she knows virtually nothing about this town if I tell her something I might get a nonbiased opinion for once. As much as I hate to admit it, that would be kind of nice.

With a little sigh of defeat, I mirror her actions until we're sitting side by side, our feet dangling in the cold water while we stare off in opposite directions. After about a minute or so, I finally decide to say something.

"Sorry I snapped at you….again. It's just my grandfather…" I sneak a peek over at her to catch her reaction but her pale face is stoic, a sure sign that she's listening to my story. Looking away, I continue, "He always criticizes my work…it's like I'll never be good enough for him…Maybe I should just quit and get out of here."

Claire shifts before falling back on the grass, throwing an arm over her eyes. I'm about to get mad that she's not taking me seriously when she exclaims, "You know, it's called TRAINING for a reason. Because you have to train before you get good at it."

Even though she's saying the same things my grandpa's been saying, for some reason it just sounds better coming out of her mouth. She says it so matter-of-factly, like it's the simplest thing in the world. I look at her before saying in a somewhat disgruntled tone, "I've been training for a really long time now and I'm still no good…"

Her arm shifts and I find myself looking down into blue eyes that are the same color of the crystal blue of the waterfall. With her piercing gaze, she just says simply, "I'm going to be farming for a really long time, and it won't make my farm THAT much better. But I'll just have to keep going, so that eventually it WILL get better. It's just a matter of effort, and how badly you want something."

That is the single most profound thing that I've ever heard someone in grungy clothing say.

When I just keep staring at her and don't reply to her philosophical statement, she looks back at me like I'm an idiot for not getting it. Pointing at me, she says, "You know what you have to do, right?"


	5. Chapter 5

_**~~~~Claire~~~~**_

This idiot. Does he really have no idea what I'm talking about?

I've already said all I could to give him hints at what I'm trying to suggest, what more does he want from me?

The longer I stare the more obvious it becomes that I think he's stupid for not understanding, and he scowls before pulling his legs out of the water. As he stands up, he looks down irritably before saying, "Alright fine, so maybe you're right and I should just deal with it. But it doesn't mean I have to like it."

I watch him storm off, with what I'm sure is a pleased smile on my face. So not only did he get what I was trying to tell him, but he's going to listen to it too I'm sure. I'd like to think that while we're not the best of friends, this little moment of ours might make him stop glaring at me. True, it's been all of a day that I've known him but all the same I didn't like the fact that practically everyone in the town except for him seems okay with me.

Now I can sleep a little more peacefully tonight, knowing he doesn't full on hate me the way I thought he did.

* * *

A few weeks pass before anything interesting happens.

I find myself at the church, somehow having wandered here without really knowing why. In the past few weeks I've been saving up my egg money, and today was the day I finally decided to purchase some seeds for the spring season. As I stare up at the building, I gulp a bit before steeling up my nerves and going inside. It's as empty as it was the first few times I came inside-surprisingly, Cliff and Carter appear to be the only ones here besides me.

I get halfway down the aisle before Carter comes to greet me, all smiles to balance out the gloominess exuding from Cliff, who's STILL sulking over in the front pew. As he grabs my hand warmly, he smiles and says, "Claire! We were all beginning to wonder if you'd fallen ill on your farm, as it's been so long since we've seen you around town. How have you been?"

With a bit of a shy smile, I shake his hand and say thankfully, "I've been fine, don't worry about me." Carter just smiles and puts an arm around my shoulder, walking me towards the front of the church as he talks on and on about what I've missed while hermiting myself on the farm. I don't think I've ever been as thankful for someone as I am for him right now; no one else seems to have cared less that I disappeared for virtually a month.

When I mention this, Carter gives another vague smile before dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "They might not say it," he tells me as we near Cliff, "But I'm sure that they were more worried than they let on when you saw them again. After all, it's a big job tackling that farm and you're just one girl." I open my mouth to say that I can take care of myself just fine when Carter stops aprubtly, a smile playing at his lips.

"Why don't you go talk to Cliff while I do a little dusting in the confessional?" he suggests loudly, which causes Cliff to throw a look of horror over his shoulder at me. Not allowing either one of us time to protest, Carter waves merrily before all but booking it to the confessional and closing the door quickly with a bit of a slam. Cliff and I just look at each other, before Cliff looks away fidgeting nervously.

The way he looks at me with horror would be funny, except that for as little as I've talked to him I've taken a genuine liking to him. It takes all sorts of people to make up this world, and Cliff is just one of those that you want to get to know, mostly just so you can make them not so scared of everything.

My motherly instincts urge me to reach out and fix his hair, but I know that in doing so I'll probably end up freaking him out even more. Instead, I settle on sitting down on the pew next to him before saying pleasantly, "So Cliff, how have you been?"

"I…I've been fine, thanks," he says, looking positively terrified that someone's talking to him.

I stifle a giggle before clearing my throat and pointing out, "You know, you've really no need to be so afraid of me. I don't bite…usually."

He freezes up for a second before realizing that I'm only teasing him, and as I laugh and he starts to laugh too I see the tension slip out of his shoulders before he turns to smile timidly at me. Somehow, I know it's my signal to continue the conversation, despite the fact that he hasn't really said much of anything yet. Just as I'm about to start talking to him the door bangs open, startling us both.

"Good afternoon, Cliff, I've brought lunch for you and Carter!" Ann, the innkeeper's daughter says cheerfully as she makes her way up the aisle. The two of us watch her as she skips up to us, red braid swinging as she happily lists off the contents of the basket. It takes a minute to realize I'm there, and then another minute for this realization to set in before she all but tackles me with a flying hug.

"I was starting to get really worried about you!" she complains, holding me at arms length to look me up and down while I grin and blush, trying hard not to act too pleased that someone's making a fuss about my reappearance. I'm about to say more when she gives me a knowing look and says, "You really shouldn't hole up on your farm like that, come up for food every once in awhile!"

I throw my head back an laugh, "Ann, you say that like I have money for that!"

Ann scolds me, saying in a stern voice, "You don't need to pay if I'm offering, now do you?" She turns to go and waves, saying, "I better see you at the bar tonight, Claire!"

Cliff hesitates as Ann leaves, and in that hesitation I take the opportunity to ask a question I've been dying to ask. Scooting just a little closer, I say as casually as I can, "Hey, Cliff. What's up with Gray?"

Immediately, he looks on his guard as he says slowly, "What about Gray?"

"I dunno. Why's he so grumpy all the time?"

Cliff stutters and protests, "He's not grumpy all the time he just….he just…he just doesn't like people."

I roll my eyes, wanting to hit myself in the forehead. Cliff may be a cute boy, but he clearly isn't picking up on why I'm asking these questions. I guess at this point, it's just best if I say things as bluntly as possible.

With a sigh, I state flatly, "Look. I want to know what his problem is, because even an idiot could tell that he's got something bothering him. I want to know what it is, so I can talk to him about it and fix it and then he won't walk around looking like he's ready to kill the next person who talks to him."

Cliff mutters, "Well good luck, because I don't even know that much about him and he and I are friends. Gray doesn't tell people things."

* * *

As I walk off from the church, I mull over the fact that Gray hasn't even been able to tell his roommate/friend Cliff whatever's bothering him. From that first week we met and that time we sat by the spring, I knew something was up. Nobody just walks around so angrily like that for no reason at all. There has to be something.

Maybe I'm being a busybody, and maybe it's not my place, but all the same I can't help but want to fix it. Somehow, I feel like he would have a really nice smile, if only he'd let me see it.

The more I think about it, the more confused I get until I just decide to give up. Then I realize that in my thinking, I've wandered off somewhere in town and no longer have any idea as to where I am. When I look though, there's a towering building on my right that has a sign next to the door, simply stating 'library'. I don't hesitate for a second, but instead open the door and walk right in.

It smells of old books and pages, the ancient but pleasant scent filling me with a sort of happiness that I haven't been able to recall since childhood. It's been so long since I've had a chance to sit down with a good book, and the longer I look at my surroundings the happier I grow at the prospect of a new relaxation place. In fact, I'm so busy looking around that I fail to hear a timid clearing of the throat, and when someone pokes me in the back I clench my teeth and try not to scream before whirling around.

The girl who stands before me rocks back and forth on her plain brown shoes timidly, her small fingers nervously playing with the dark plait that rests on her shoulder. Round glasses hide her eyes a little, and her shy demeanor just screams of someone who reads books far too often. She shuffles a little closer before clearing her throat and saying, "H-hello. Who are you?"

I stare at her for a second, not seeming to figure out what's going on until I realize that the only people I've really talked to so far in this town were the ones I've conveniently run into. Somehow, I get the feeling that this girl doesn't go out very often, and since I've only just now come into this library it makes sense that I haven't seen her before this.

Slowly, I hold out my hand and say, "Claire. Claire Robbins. It's a bit of a late introduction, I know, but I was sure that I met everyone the first week I was here…."

The girl gives a little forlorn sort of laugh before saying, "Well, not that many people come to the library, and I rarely leave it so it's understandable. My name's Mary, Anna and Basil are my parents."

I snap my fingers in recognition of the names. Basil I remember because of his weird, plant enthusiastic- clothing, and Anna I remember simply because Manna didn't stop talking about her for a good five minutes. I ought to have paid Manna's rambling more attention, as I'm sure she probably mentioned that Anna had a daughter.

The two of us sort of stare at each other before I clear my throat and ask, "So…any recommendations?"

Mary's face breaks out into a timid smile before she takes my hand and says, "Follow me!"


	6. Chapter 6

_**~~Gray~~**_

I shouldn't care.

I shouldn't be worried.

Of course it's not normal for me to be bothered so much by someone else, but at this point I'm fed up with the fact that Claire hasn't shown up once since that day in the spring to talk to me. I keep telling myself it's because she should come and see how much progress I've made, and how I'm taking her advice, but in reality I'm just slightly worried that she's probably fainted while working on that farm of hers. Or that she's just ignoring me, which bothers me a lot more than it should.

No one else in this town is as interesting as she is, and no one else in this town seems to be as fixed as making friends with others as she is. That alone is enough to intrigue me; why is she so hell-bent on befriending people, even someone like me who obviously doesn't care for it?

Either she's looking for some form of comfort from what I don't know, or she's trying to find out all our dirty little secrets so she can use them to her advantage. I'm fairly sure it's the first one, since Claire doesn't really seem like the sneaky type, but I can't rule out the second option here.

I'm so busy thinking about all of this that I forget to concentrate, and in that instant I hit my finger again instead of the tool I'm supposed to be working on. I mutter a curse under my breath, earning myself a look of disapproval from my grandfather before he sighs, "Gray, you're done for today."

When I check the clock, I realize he's letting me off five minutes earlier than usual but I don't complain. I all but rush out the door, eager to be out of the stuffy building and be done with yet another day of blacksmithing. The first thing I want to do is just go to the Inn and get some food, but as I pass the path down to the farm something starts to tug in my stomach and I look over at the path carefully. For a second, an image of Claire lying dead on her field flashes into my mind and I try to shake it off but there's no helping it. Giving a long, suffering sigh, I change direction and head to the farm, feeling as if I'm obligated to make sure she's okay. It's the least I owe her after she gave me advice.

The second I get on the farm grounds, I'm attacked by her puppy. He growls at me for all of a second before deciding that he'd rather be friends. Not long after that, he starts playing with my pant leg and I resist the urge to shove him off and instead kneel down and pet the little animal.

"Enough, leave my leg alone," I tell him, pushing him away gently but to no avail. The puppy just jumps happily back onto my leg and begins tugging at the fabric with his teeth and I can't do anything but pick him up in order for him to leave my clothes alone. As he snuggles up contentedly onto my chest, I just sigh before walking around the farm, trying to figure out exactly where Claire is.

The longer I wander around, the stupider I feel about this entire adventure on my part, I'm about ready to just put the dog down and go when I hear a voice behind me say my name.

"Gray?" the voice asks, sounding extremely puzzled, and I revolve slowly to face Claire. She looks surprised to see me here, but not mad; in fact, she looks the same as ever except for the fact that she's got about ten books in her arms and looks like she's struggling to carry them all. Instantly I set the dog down and approach her slowly, asking, "Do you need help?"

She laughs a little as she just catches a book that was slipping before she turns her blue eyes on me and says, "I'm fine, I'm fine, what are you doing here?"

As I fumble around for an answer, she just grins even wider then jerks her head over her shoulder towards her shack of a house as if to tell me to go open the door. Silently, I walk past her and open the door, watching as she walks in with her puppy running around her excitedly in circles. Once she sets everything down with a sigh, I clear my throat and look away as I say without thinking, "I came to thank you. For the advice. And to apologize for being a jerk about a lot of things."

Once the words slip out of my mouth, I want to smack myself in the face. Why didn't I just say that I wanted to make sure she hadn't died or something? What's wrong with me?

Claire looks over her shoulder at me, surprised as she just laughs, "Honestly, it's not that big a deal. Besides, I never took you for the type to get so concerned over another person."

I frown at this thought. "Well no, I usually don't," I agree, "But I kind of owed you for the advice. And you're the only other person here besides Cliff who seems worth talking to." At my words, she blushes slightly before the pink fades from her cheeks and she leans against her table, looking me straight in the eye.

"Is that really all?" she presses, questioning me with a knowing look. "I get the feeling that you want to talk to me for a reason, Gray. You should be more honest with me."

I hesitate for a second before admitting, "I'm actually kind of curious as to why you moved to this town in the first place."

"And I'm curious as to why you're here, and why you're so mad all the time," she points out, smirking as I scowl at her comments.

We stare at each other as if one of us will break, but already I know that Claire's not the type to back down from anything. The silence takes up the room the longer we stare, neither one of us wanting to be the first to look away. Claire doesn't disappoint; rather than looking away, she continues to try and stare me down as she says, "Why don't we play a little game then?"

At her words, I wrinkle my nose before asking cautiously, "A game?"

"Yeah. A game. A truth game."

I look at her warily before muttering, "What are the rules? And why a truth game?"

Claire smiles the same dangerous smile she smiled at me the first time we talked as she leans forward and says in a low sort of voice, "The rule is that you can ask any question you like, and the other person has to answer. But if they don't answer, then the asker wins."

I can see this being both a good and bad thing for me; I'll be able to find out whatever I want to know and satiate my curiosity, but at the same time I'll be subjected to questions by her as well. It's a gamble for both of us, and it goes without saying that I know perfectly well why she chose a truth game.

After all, what better way to learn things from someone who doesn't want to speak?

And it's obvious by now that neither one of us is willing to lose, even for a petty game like this.

There's a hesitation before I step forward and hold out my hand, firmly grasping hers as we shake on it and seal the deal .

It seems the game has begun.

* * *

**Woo...a little short but I'm trying to make the chapters longer and fill stuff in. Basically, creating more of a past for the characters since as far as this game goes none of them have an explicit past I think it would be fun to elaborate on it. I'll do my best to keep them in character, but I still want to create this story as best I can XD**

**Sorry I haven't been posting as frequently as I usually do, but school keeps me pretty busy XD Oh well, it happens. Anyways, I'll try to post a lot when I do post, so I hope you enjoy it and thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading! :) Until the next update!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**~~~~Claire~~~~**_

Both of us are putting up a lot at stake here. At his jumpy reaction to my suggestion of "Truth" it's blatantly obvious that he's hiding something. That, and I figured as soon as I suggested it that we'd both end up divulging some pretty big secrets.

But it's just a part of the game; and there's no better way to really befriend someone than by starting off with a good game of Truth, although with his stubborn attitude I've a feeling this game will go on a lot longer than most ever do.

Immediately after we let go, he shoots at me, "So who gets to ask first?"

With a smile, I just push him towards my door as I say, "We'll figure that out tomorrow. I've got chores to do, so we'll talk about it when I'm not so busy. See you around, Gray."

He sputters out something as I shove him out the door, but I give him no time to explain himself as I close him out and head back to my bathroom to take a shower. As I let the warm water wash over me, soaking into my skin, I tilt my head back and close my eyes to think.

What could someone like Gray want to do with a small town like this anyways? He acts like it's the stupidest place in the world here, and it's obvious that he was forced to come here but I can't seem to figure out why. Something tells me that he was sent here for more than JUST a simple apprentice ship. That, and normal people aren't that closed off from the world.

Even the angriest person still wants to talk to someone about their problems.

* * *

That night, when I walk into the Inn, everyone gives me a look before going back to their conversations. As I pass them on the way to the bar, I get looks from people while I walk. Every so often someone will shoot me a furtive look before muttering something to their companion. I'm past caring at this point though, and as I sit down Ann gives me a look as if to say "don't mind them".

Passing me, she says, "I'll be back with some food for you, just sit down and wait for now." With a smile at her, I seat myself down a few stools from Karen, the supermarket owner's daughter. I've only met her briefly, but even then I could tell that she seemed like the type who did pretty much whatever she wanted. From where I'm sitting I can see her dad sitting at a table, looking at his wine glass with a somewhat regretful and forlorn expression. Karen, on the other hand, seems to be on her third beer already and it's only eight or so. When the door opens again and I see Rick come to sit by her, I have to choke down a laugh.

I can't imagine how people with such opposite personalities can be that close, especially when it's obvious that there's something between the two of them. It's clear in the way that Rick edges closer to Karen before letting his arm rest lightly on the back of her chair that the two of them are together, although Karen looks as if she could care less right now as she too busy downing more beer.

I'm so busy creeping on the two of them that I fail to notice when someone sits down right next to me and clears their throat. In fact, it's not until they've cleared their throat about three times that I turn to look and I see Gray staring at me impatiently.

"Well? Do I get to start?" he pressures me, picking up on our conversation from this afternoon like it was only a few minutes ago. I grimace before Ann sets a steaming plate of food in front of me before giving me a knowing smile and walking off. Gray watches me with an irritated look as I stuff my mouth full of food and turn to look at him while I chew as slowly as possible. As soon as I swallow, I say, "Yes. Now it's my turn."

"What? Wait, I didn't even ask a question!"

"Yes you did," I point out. "You asked if you got to start. And my answer is yes. So now it's my turn to ask!"

Gray gives me a begrudging look before looking away and saying, "That's sneaky and it shouldn't count."

"Do you want to play or not?"

"Fine, FINE! I'll play. Ask away, Blondie."

I give him an appraising look before deciding to start off easy on him, knowing that if I gain his actual trust, I can get him to give me a full answer about the questions I really want to ask. That's going to take some time, although I honestly don't mind it in the least.

It'll be nice, to get to know someone that well for once.

As seriously as I can, I ask, "What's your favorite color?"

Gray gives me a look as if I'm stupid before replying in a snotty voice, "You know, you're the one who said we're playing Truth, not Twenty Questions."

I glare at him before saying, "We ARE playing Truth. But you don't just ask someone a personal question right away-that's rude!"

For a second I think he's about to blow me off again and just forget about the whole game, but then he turns to look back at the bar as he rolls his eyes and mutters, "Blue. I like blue, since blue stones always look so pure and clear."

He gives me a look that says he's done before asking, "How many siblings do you have?"

I take a sip of my drink before replying without flinching, "Four siblings. Two older brothers, and two older sisters."

The idea that I'm the youngest of my family seems to fascinate him, and he sits in a stupefied sort of silence while I cringe as slightly as possible, hoping to steer the subject away from my family for now. It's bound to come up again sooner than later, I'm sure, but it's a touchy subject for me nonetheless and I'd rather not delve into it at the moment.

Luckily, it's my turn to ask and I say, "So I take it you have no siblings then?"

"Well no, I have…" Gray hesitates for a second before saying slowly, "A younger sister. But she's still at home of course." Something about the inflection in his voice tells me that there's a little more to it, but for the time being I don't think I'm willing to dive headfirst into his problems.

I want this game to last as long as possible.

* * *

We're halfway through our fifth beers (Karen passed out long ago and was dragged home by poor Rick) when he coughs and asks, "So why are you so hell-bent on befriending me anyways?"

With a shrug, I admit, "Actually, I never planned to befriend you…I just wanted to know why you've got a stick up your butt."

That gets me a scowl before he puts back another beer and mutters, "Well, would you be happy if you were packed off somewhere you never really wanted to be sent to?" The thought occurred to me that he might not want to be here, but hearing him say that so clearly makes me feel a slight satisfaction that I was right. The satisfaction of knowing must be apparent on my face because he scowls even more before saying, "Happy then, are you?"

I shrug again, then pick at a crack in the table as I answer, "Yeah. I mean, I figured as much but to hear it from you is better than just guessing. Plus this means you kind of trust me now, right?"

He opens his mouth to protest, but then seems to think better of it and just downs the rest of his beer. Setting down the empty bottle with a loud clunk, he stands up slowly and says, "Come on, I'll walk you home then. It's getting late."

"What am I, two?"

"No, but you're still a girl. Come on, Claire."

Begrudgingly, I get up and wait as he pays for his food. As we exit, I give Ann a wave before I'm hit with a cold blast of night air. We're trudging through the street, both of us slightly muddled from our drinks when Gray blurts out, "So why farming?"

When I stop suddenly at the questions, he pauses too and looks at me, unsure as to why I've stopped. As we stand there in the street, the wind blowing through us, I stare hard at the ground and concentrate. He's asked something that I never even really thought much about myself. Sure, the idea of farming was a pleasant one at best, but why did I decide to stick through, even with the shitty farm I was given to start out with?

What's motivating me?

My confusion must be obvious, because he chuckles low and reaches out, patting me on the shoulder as he says, "You didn't think about it, did you?" I frown, and stick my tongue out at him before the two of us continue on towards my house. We're halfway there when I come up with my answer, and I turn to him triumphantly and throw my arms in the air as I say, "Farming is relaxing!"

Gray just looks at me like I'm stupid before saying, "What part of all that work is relaxing?"

"It's outside."

"So?"

"It's fun."

"Getting dirty is fun?"

"I'll have fresh crops."

"You're eating vegetables and fruit that have been growing off of cow shit."

At his last statement, I just glare at him before throwing my hands up in surrender. Stomping a few feet ahead, I complain loudly, "Do you have to be such a Debbie downer?"

He laughs before walking up close behind me and grabbing my hip as I sway a little, the effect of the drinks starting to sink in a little. Before this, I'm sure that he would've just grabbed my arm, but after spending a good two hours drinking and talking together we're past the acquaintance stage.

The arm stays around my waist for awhile before he seems to realize exactly what's going on and he jerks it away as quickly as possible. By that time though, we've already arrived on my farm, so he would've let go anyways. I thank him and say good night before heading in, closing the door behind me.

As I lean against the door, my heart slightly pounding of the memory of his hand on my waist, I hit my head against the wood before telling myself to get some sleep. Maybe the effects of the drinks will wear off, and I won't have this weird buzzing feeling in my chest anymore.


	8. Chapter 8

_**~~Gray~~**_

The next morning does not dawn brightly for me.

Of course, I was never a morning person to begin with, but drinking last night doesn't help my getting up this morning. As I groan and struggle to sit up, I hold my slightly aching head before remembering most of last night. The terrible thing is that even though I didn't drink that much, I've still managed to get a headache. I'm sure that Claire's just as bad as I am right now, if not worse.

She's so tiny that there's no way she isn't a lightweight. Besides that, last night she could barely walk straight…as I think about it my face reddens a little at my bold move.

Why did I have to go and do something like that? Then again, it wasn't like I was about to just let her fall. I can be rude and mean, but even I wouldn't do that to someone.

Standing up carefully, I head to the shower in the hopes that the warm water will clear me up a little. Once the shower's on and I'm soaking in the warmth, I smile a bit as I recall Claire's scowl last night when I teased her about her still dirty clothes.

She kept insisting that she'd just cleaned them, and yet there was still some dirt on it. It makes me think that she probably went back to her field to check one last time before coming to the Inn last night. If she can work that hard, then I should be able to do that much if not more. Stepping out of the shower, I jump into my clothes and walk out the door, hoping to get in an early morning walk before going to work.

* * *

When I do get to work, the room's already boiling as my grandfather slaves away at his workbench. Something tells me not to disturb him now, so I just quietly head for my own little station and start working. Halfway through the morning I hear the bell tinkle, signaling that we've got a customer and I look up expectantly, thinking that it's Claire, since she spent so much time yesterday complaining about her axe.

I'm surprised to see myself staring at a small, timid looking girl with glasses and a long black braid. It's Mary, the librarian…not that I've ever really talked to her. I met her once before, but it was briefly and it was at the point where I had just arrived and wasn't in the mood to talk to much of anyone. For a second I feel a little bad for having been so rude, but the feeling rubs off as my grandfather wipes his hands and walks up to her, asking what brings her there. While the two of them talk, the door chimes again and this time it's Claire who walks through, though when she sees me she gives a little wave before looking over at my grandfather and Mary expectantly.

I find that I'm slightly disappointed that she's hasn't come here for just me, but then I shake my head and tell myself it shouldn't matter. I'm so busy trying to tell myself it's no big deal that I lose my focus even more and end up cutting myself. The shard slides against my skin, and as blood begins to pour out I gripe, "Ouch!" and jerk my hand back from my work table.

Great job, Gray. Way to go make a fool of yourself in front of two girls at the same time.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Claire take a step towards me, a concerned look on her face when my view of the blonde farmer is blocked as the librarian comes up to me. Exclaiming, "Oh! Are you okay?" she holds my hand and dabs at the cut with a blue handkerchief. She looks up at me with a shy smile before saying, "You are okay, right?" I forget about Claire for a second as I look into Mary's black eyes, and I clutch the blue handkerchief tied to my hand closer as I murmur back, "Y-yeah."

I don't get it; what's with me lately? First I get all weird with Claire, and now this?

Mary looks happy that I'm not seriously injured, and she smiles even wider before inviting me happily to go visit the library sometime. It's been awhile since I've really read, but I'm starting to think going to the library might not be such a bad idea. As Mary waves good-bye to both my grandfather and I, she passes Claire.

The two girls greet each other in a friendly manner before Claire says something low and Mary giggles and waves as she steps out. I hadn't any idea that two of them were friends; Mary seems too innocent and Claire…well she's Claire. There's no one here quite like her.

As she shoots a look in my direction and talks to my grandfather about her rusty axe, I bend my head over my work bench and clutch the handkerchief tightly again.

Looks like I'll have something to do this afternoon.

* * *

A few weeks pass, and it's almost time for summer when I finally remember Kai's coming back. As soon as the though occurs to me, I groan and massage my temples, knowing that I'll have to mention something to Claire about it.

Somehow, the two of us have grown close so fast that even the town's been talking about it. They've been speculating that we'll be a couple, although every time we hear rumors of it the two of us just laugh them off.

Claire's just a friend.

A really cute friend, but nevertheless a friend.

That, and she knows full well as my best friend here that I've got a thing for the librarian. The day I finally out and told Claire how I felt about Mary she squealed and wouldn't shut up about how cute a couple the two of us would be.

I'm jerked out of my thoughts when the door chimes and Claire appears in the doorway, a beckoning grin on her face. At her appearance, my eyes dart to the clock, and I grin when I realize that it's time for me to get off. I say good-bye to my grandfather as fast as I can without seeming rude, then rush out the door behind my friend.

"Hey, you'll never guess what happened!" Claire exclaims, looking for all the world like an excited little kid. I smile gently at her before patting her on the head and saying, "Alright, alright, calm down and tell me already!"

She just grins before saying, "There's a new guy in town!"

Oh dear Goddess. Please don't tell me Kai came early this year and has already made a move on her. I don't think I'd be able to stand it if I let my best friend end up with a womanizer like that, especially since Popuri would have a fit.

I'm about to say something about Kai when Claire stops and blushes, and I look up expectantly, thinking that Kai's standing in the middle of the path.

I'm surprised to find myself looking at a guy in overalls. He's got brown, scruffy hair held back in a blue cap, and he seems to be pretty buffed out. He's about as tall as I am, and he's got a big, carefree sort of smile on his face.

I'd say he looks kind of ridiculous, but judging by the way Claire's blushing she doesn't think that at all. When the guy sees her, he grins a very different sort of a grin, and for a second I get this weird feeling that runs down my spine.

What the hell?

He walks up to her confidently, then leans against the nearest fence as he says smoothly, "Hey Blondie, didn't think I'd be running into you again so soon. Not that I mind it though."

While Claire giggles, and talks to him, I glare at him a little. No one else except me ever calls her that, and for some reason it kind of pisses me off. Stepping up closer, I say loudly, "Who are you?"

I could care less that Claire's shooting me daggers right now for interrupting, as I really want to figure out who the hell this guy is and what he wants. The guy just seems to size me up before saying slowly, "Name's Jack. Jack Wolfe. I came here to inquire about a farm, but as it seems someone's already taken it I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do…"

I'm sure that I'm gaping at him as Claire steps forward and says, "Well, did you talk to Thomas about it then? I'm sure he's come up with some sort of solution for you…"

Jack just gives her another grin before saying, "Well I have a proposition for you, Claire. What would you say to having a hired hand on your farm? A cute girl like you can't work on that field all by herself!"

Claire gasps before blushing even harder as she registers that he called her cute. I just narrow my eyes at him a little more. I already don't like this guy, and I barely know him. I hate how forward he's being with Claire, despite the fact that he's never met her until today.

As I open my mouth to tell him to mind his own damn business, Claire squeals, "You'd really help me? But I don't have much money…"

Jack just throws an arm over her shoulder casually and starts walking with her, leaving me standing on the path dumbfounded as the two of them walk off towards the Inn. "Money's not too big of an issue, you just pay me what you can and I'll stay at the Inn and help you until I've got enough money to sail off to the city again."

As the two of them walk away, I grumpily stick my hands in my pockets and head for the library, hoping that by seeing Mary I'll be able to get rid of this weird feeling.

* * *

**It's slowly but surely happening...even though I don't like this chapter XD Jack is playful, and fun for Claire but he's also a bit of a flirt (I mean, there's no way he CAN'T be, he's the one seeking a wife in the other version of this game), and part of that is pissing Gray off XD Anyways, thanks all for being so patient with me, until the next update thanks for reading! :) **


	9. Chapter 9

_**~~~~Claire~~~~**_

Jack and I are halfway to the Inn when I remember that I all but ditched Gray. Quickly, I turn to go when Jack says in a somewhat sad voice, "Leaving me already? Come on now, Claire, I'm not that bad am I?"

When I turn my head to look at him, I see him grinning at me in that same teasing way he grinned at me when we met this morning, and I blush a bit. There's something charming about his carefree smile; somehow I think that even though he appears to not have a care in the world he's a hard worker. Besides that, would a lazy person really offer to help on a farm for such little pay?

As I assure myself of this, Jack stretches before saying, "You know, I somehow get the feeling that your friend didn't like me."

"Oh, Gray?" I dismiss the thought easily with a shrug, explaining, "He's just not that big of a people person. Even now he doesn't talk to too many people, and he's got a lot of work to do at the Blacksmith's."

Jack perks up as he says, "Oh, a blacksmith? That's not a bad skill to have at all, really. My parents thought about sending me off to learn but I left on my own and struck out to find my own fortune."

"Really?"

"Yeah," he smiles gently before scratching the back of his head, seeming a little bashful as he says, "I mean, it's nothing to brag about but I've been managing to get by just fine on my own."

I just continue to look at him respectfully. Somehow I get the feeling that he's similar to me, and that is more than enough for me to want to make a connection with him. On top of that, he's pretty funny. As much fun as I have with Gray, I get the feeling it'll be nice to be with someone so lighthearted.

* * *

When the two of us walk into the Inn together, Ann shoots us a look before she gets one of Jack's big smiles. Just like me, she blushes before coming up to us and saying, "Claire, is this a friend from the city?"

I giggle a little as I exchange a look with Jack before turning to Ann and introducing him. After all the introductions are through, Ann sits him at a table and tells him that she'll be right back with me before she all but drags me through the door to the kitchen and to her room. She yells something to her dad along the way about Jack being a customer before her bedroom door slams shut and the two of us are sitting in conference on her floor.

"He's so cute!" Ann squeals, after we've silently freaked out for a good ten minutes. I can't seem to stop smiling as I reply, "Isn't he? He's really funny too…I've pretty much hired him as a helping hand on my farm until he decides to go."

Ann winks at me before elbowing me and saying, "Well he might not want to go after working next to you…"

I turn crimson before coughing out, "I don't know what you're talking about Ann…"

The Innkeeper's daughter just laughs loudly before propelling me out the door. As we head towards the table where Jack is patiently viewing the menu, Ann whispers in my ear, "Good luck, Claire."

* * *

After dinner (during which I get many winks and furtive looks from Ann and the other customers at the Inn), Jack and I head over to my farm so that I can show him where I'd like him to start first. We're talking animatedly about how different city life is compared to Mineral Town that at first both of us fail to notice that a chicken is heading our way. By the time it reaches us, it's too late for either of us to dodge it.

"Claire, stay back," Jack warns me, moving me behind him as if to shield me from the animal. I have to smirk at his actions; he's acting like the chicken is some kind of wild beast that's going to attack us. I'm about to admonish him for acting so childish about it when Popuri and Rick come running up after it, screaming and waving their hands. The second I see how panicked the siblings are, I freeze and slowly turn to look at the chicken, which is standing right in front of us now and looking up at Jack in a defiant manner.

This is no ordinary chicken; judging by the murderous intent in its beady eyes, this is the chicken that Rick's been training to fight at chicken festivals. The chicken just eyes Jack for another second before giving a loud squawk and flying at him ferociously. Rather than trying the smack the animal away the way most people would, Jack just lets the chicken scratch his arms while he shields his face. As Rick and Popuri reach us, I cry out, "You guys! Grab it!"

Rick manages to catch it (getting scratched and bloodied in the process himself), before apologizing to Jack profusely while Popuri looks on in admiration.

"I'm terribly sorry!" Rick nearly bows, offering a hand to my friend. Jack just gives him a forgiving smile before waving it off and saying, "It's no big deal, really. I'm sure you didn't mean to let him loose, and he just wanted to get past me is all."

With Rick still bowing and apologizing, Popuri thanks us before dragging her brother off behind her. As we watch the two go, Jack turns to me and bows in a teasing manner before saying, "Are you hurt, milady?"

I just shake my head at him, a smile on my face as I reply haughtily, "Don't go acting like some prince charming now. It won't give you any brownie points."

I can't help but blush when he looks up at me with a gentle light in his eyes, saying quietly, "Now come on, Claire, don't be that way. It's a man's job to protect cute girls like yourself." I just sigh and start walking quickly to my farm, leaving him behind with a perplexed look.

"Hurry up," I call over my shoulder, as I feel my face burn and my heart beat rapidly.

* * *

"Wow."

"Yep."

"Wow, this farm is really….well it's really….Damn, Claire, I'm really glad I offered to help."

At Jack's last words, I shoot a glare in his direction before sighing, "It's not so bad. It used to be a lot worse, trust me."

Jack walks over to my shack of a house and pats the wood, wincing as the whole house groans. Turning to look at me with a solemn face, he replies, "Oh, I believe you. How long have you been on this farm again?"

I sigh again, crossing my arms over my chest as I turn to look out across the still weed-ridden field. I should make no excuses, I know. I've been here since the beginning of spring, and as summer begins to creep upon the town it's almost shocking how little work I've gotten done, despite my best efforts. Even Gray, when he comes to visit me while I'm in the field, will just whistle in a respectful sort of way, as if to say that I've still got a long battle ahead of me.

I've managed to clear just a small plot for plants, but the barn and coop are both still in shambles, and those two buildings are the ones I plan on prioritizing before even thinking about renovating my house to be a little more livable.

I'm so busy thinking to myself that I fail to answer Jack's question, and when he clears his throat to grab my attention I give a little jump.

"Oh, sorry," I say, turning to face him as he just smiles at my absentmindedness. "I've been here since spring."

Jack frowns before seeming to think things through and coming to a conclusion. Walking up to me, he grabs my hand gently and looks at me very seriously. As a blush slowly creeps up my cheeks again, he says, "Let's fix this farm, Claire."

I'm about to agree when I look down and see that he's still got the scratches on his arm from our encounter on the way over. Instantly, I freak out and exclaim, "Goddess, I'm sorry! I totally forgot all about your scratches!"

Jack just laughs and starts to insist that he's fine when I cut him off and all but drag him into my house, saying, "Before we fix this farm, we're fixing your scratches first." As he sits down at my puny table and looks around wonderingly, I head over to the bookshelf, reaching for the highest shelf so that I can grab the first aid kit and fix his arm up. When I get there, I realize that my stool to reach high up places is nowhere near, and I'm all set to curse under my breath when I feel a sudden warmth behind me as Jack presses against me, reaching up and grabbing the case easily.

As his chest presses against my back, I feel heat searing in my cheeks and I mutter, "I could've gotten it."

"Are you sure?" he teases gently as I turn around and grab the kit from him, marching back towards my chair somewhat stiffly.

"Sit down and shut up. Just let me fix the damn injuries."

Jack laughs before coming up behind my chair and wrapping his arms around me. As my heart begins to pound rapidly, he murmurs low, "Come on Claire, don't be so mean to me."

Even though I barely know this guy, somehow I feel my entire body start to heat up at his gestures. I'm about to say something teasingly back when for some reason an image of Gray's sullen face pops into my mind. The heat stops spreading, although my heart is still beating wildly, and I turn to look up into Jack's handsome face before holding the kit up and muttering, "Just…just sit down."

He smiles; it's a different smile from the happy one I've been seeing so far, and it's a little off putting with how much darker he suddenly looks. Sitting down slowly, eyes on my every movement, he holds his arm forward and says in a low voice, "Alright, Claire. Whatever you say."

* * *

**Seriously...some of those chickens for the festival have some seriously creepy/fierce expressions. I would not be surprised if one of them went on a rampage of sorts after escaping a pen XD Okay, onto the next chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

_**~~Gray~~**_

"Gray!" The dark skinned sailor crows my name before half charging me to give a hug. I just grunt while he clasps my shoulders and sits down at the bar stool next to mine. A frown on his handsome face, he kicks his suitcase under the bar and orders a drink from Ann before turning back to me.

"Hey, what kind of greeting is that?" Kai complains. "I come back for summer for the first time since last year and all I get is another one of your dumb scowls? Liven up a little, it's SUMMER!"

I just sigh loudly as Ann passes our table and heads towards where Jack and Claire are sitting, the two of them taking a lunch break together. As Claire laughs loudly at something the brown haired farmer says, I clench my hand into a fist.

"Nice to see you too, Kai," I manage, turning to look at him ever so slightly in the attempt to keep Claire and Jack in my sight. As Jack reaches out and teasingly pulls a strand of Claire's hair, I grit my teeth. I've no right to be this angry with him over Claire. I'm miffed that I haven't had as much time with her as I normally have, but I know that's not what's ticking me off so much about the guy. Problem is, I can't seem to figure out why every time I see the two of them flirting, I feel sick to my stomach.

Luckily, Kai doesn't seem to notice my weird actions as he just grins and says, "Knew I'd get a greeting out of you eventually. So who's the chick over there that you've got your eye on?"

I blush a little bit, knowing that I've been caught side glancing towards my friend. With another loud sigh, I mutter, "None of your business. We're just friends, and that guy bothers me."

"You're lonely, aren't you?" Kai teases. "You're lonely cause you were her best friend and now some other guy's come along and keeps her so busy you can't hang out with her."

I glare at him before grumpily saying, "I'm not lonely. And how'd you know she's my best friend?"

Kai just holds up a few letters before saying, "Popuri's going to be as bad as Manna if she keeps up this level of spying on others. But it helps me keep up with all the drama in this little town, and I know for a fact that the two of you used to be stuck together like glue until that guy came along." He glances over at them again then back at me before adding, "Besides, it's written all over your face that you don't like him."

Kai looks over once more before leaning in and whispering, "Actually, she's pretty cute. Her name's Claire, right?"

When I stand up and slam my hands down on the bar, Kai just laughs and tells me to cool down while everyone in the restaurant gives me weird looks before muttering to themselves and sneaking furtive glances in my direction. As I sit there, still fuming, I feel a tap on my shoulder.

"What?" I snarl, turning around. Instantly I feel bad when I see it's Claire standing behind me, her hands on her hips as she surveys me with a knowing look.

"Gray, I thought we talked about manners and how to properly greet people," she teases, and I smile in relief as I know that she's not offended by my angry mood.

"It might've slipped my mind," I say casually, turning my stool towards her so we're facing each other. I'd forgotten how short she was; even as I sit and she stands, we're still eye to eye.

She just laughs before asking, "Who's your friend?"

"Oh him?" I jerk my thumb at Kai and introduce him. The two shake hands, but when Kai's hand holds onto hers a little longer than normal I shoot a glare at him and he drops it. As soon as I turn back to look at Claire, she's beaming at me as she says low, "Don't make any plans tonight, okay? Just come over to my farm around eight, I promise it'll be worth it."

As she saunters away, I turn back to the bar and can't stop grinning, not even when Kai begins to complain again about my attitude.

I'm going to see Claire tonight.

* * *

It's Diesel that greets me on the farm instead of Claire. As the puppy bites at my shoelace and pulls, I smile and pick him up, fondly ruffling his ears as I do so. I haven't been on her farm since Jack came here a few weeks ago, and despite my dislike of the guy I have to hand it to him; the farm is looking much better than when Claire was on her own.

For a second I feel a little guilty at the fact that I never helped her, but that fades as Claire comes out and I set Diesel down and smirk at her.

"What took you so long?" I complain, grinning when I get a punch on the arm as my friend rolls her eyes before sauntering past me. As Claire doesn't answer but just drags me past her old barn, I can almost feel the excitement coming off of her. We reach the horse pen, and I'm about to ask what we're doing here when she pushes me inside the pen roughly.

"Ow," I complain, before I'm greeted by a meager looking foal. Behind me, Claire has her hands on hips proudly as she proclaims, "Barley dropped this little guy off this morning. Said he's mine if I nourish him and bring him up properly."

I give Claire another smile as I pet the little horse and say, "Nice, Claire. Did you name him?"

"Yeah," she says, watching the animal fondly. "His name's Jonah, and Jack said that if I talk to him and brush him every day that he'll grow faster."

My smile drops at the mention of Jack, and I scowl as I mutter, "Great. I'm glad you're getting help." Unlike everyone else, Claire can see right through me and she knows that I'm not pleased. She makes a face at me before pleading, "You know, he's really not so bad. I actually…I actually really like him, Gray."

While she blushes, looking the most like a girl as I've ever seen her, something twists in my chest before I get the feeling that my stomach's all but dropped.

What the hell is wrong with me? Surely I can't hate the guy that much, I don't know him well enough to hate him!

In order to distract myself from this weird feeling, I shake my head to clear it and ask, "So what've you been up to lately Claire? I mean, other than getting a horse that is."

Immediately she launches into how she's been working non-stop side by side with Jack, and I instantly regret asking her that question. The more she talks about him, the more I seem to hate him although I can't really put my finger on it. She's about so say something else about him when I put my hand over her mouth to quiet her down. Claire tilts her head quizzically at me, and I just shake my head and move my hand to her wrist, all but pulling her behind me as I try to get us off her farm as quickly as possible.

Neither of us speak until we're at the lake, and finally she wriggles her arm out of my grasp before laughing, "Gray, what is it? What's wrong?"

Rather than answering her, I flop down on the grass and give her a pointed look before stating, "The moon's supposed to be nice tonight. I mean, it's not terribly special, but there shouldn't be any rain so we'll be fine if we sit out here."

Claire purses her lips before giving me a smile and sitting down the way I knew she would. As she sighs and leans against me lightly, everything starts to feel a lot better, and I feel as if somehow I've managed to push Jack away from the front of her mind.

The two of us sit in silence before she asks, "So what's been up with you lately?"

"Oh, the usual. Work, the library, you know."

"The library! That's right! How are things getting along with Mary?" As she looks at me eagerly, I do my best not to roll my eyes as I blush a little myself and reply, "Just fine."

She snorts at my reply before smirking at me. With a poke, Claire says, "Just fine, as in you haven't really talked to her much have you? Just fine, as in you haven't even asked her to the firework festival."

This time I do roll my eyes as I gripe, "The festival isn't until the end of summer, the season just barely got started!"

Claire gives me another look before jostling me and saying, "Well I just wanted to put the thought in your head. Knowing you, if you don't ask early on you'll never ask and then I'll have to put up with you grumping about it the entire time."

"Oh whatever, I'm not that bad!"

"Are too," she argues, and I give up arguing with her and settle for just tickling her instead. Claire shrieks with laughter and tries to slap my hands away, but I'm not giving her any mercy. I tickle her for a solid minute or so. It's not until her knee comes into contact with my stomach that I stop tickling her to gasp in pain, and she pushes me over before running away and laughing.

With a growl, I get up and chase after her, all dignity forgotten as we run around in circles in front of the lake. Somehow I manage to catch her, tackling her roughly to the ground. The grass flies up around us as we land hard, and for a second I'm worried that she's hit her head when I realize that she's laughing so hard she can't make a sound. We stay that way to catch our breath until she blushes a bit and wriggles, saying quietly, "Gray….get off…"

It's my turn to blush as I realize I've all but pinned her to the ground. I move to get up when I realize that now is the perfect opportunity to convince her to agree to something for me. Leaning down closer so that I can feel her cool breath on my face, I whisper, "Hey, Claire."

She blushes all the more at my proximity before whispering back, "What?"

"Promise me something and I'll get up."

The blonde hesitates before asking slowly, "What am I promising?"

"Promise me that you're not going to ditch me just because you've got Jack."

Claire turns completely red before looking away quickly and muttering, "I'm not ditching you, I've just been really busy, and besides it isn't like we-"

"I know," I interrupt, "But I haven't spent as much time with my best friend as I'd have liked to. Can't you just promise me that much?"

For some reason, her blush fades as she mutters, "Oh…it's just cause…" Before I can ask her what she's muttering about, she looks up at me defiantly and says loudly, "Well okay. I won't ditch you, promise. We'll be friends forever, happy now?"

I want to wince at how cheesy it sounds, but considering that the situation is getting more and more awkward by the second I figure it's the best I can get out of her without staying in position much longer. Quickly, I get up and sit back down next to her.

Somehow, despite the night breeze, I can't cool down.

* * *

**I'm trying XD Sorry it's been FOREVER since I've updated, but this semester is extra special for me...cause I get a student to teach music to! Yay! XD But yeah. I'll try to post again really soon, and like I said in order to make up for the lack of prompt postings I'll attempt to make the chapters really long. **

**Thanks so much for the reads and reviews! :) Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11

_**~~~~Claire~~~~**_

When I wake up the next morning to a loud knock on my door, I don't bother getting up to answer. Staying out all night is never a good idea, even if it is to hang out with your best friend.

As I groan, the knocking persists, and Jack's voice calls through the door. My head hurts too much to make any sense of what he's trying to say, so rather than getting up and answering I just roll over and pull the blankets tighter around my body. I'm about to settle back down to sleep when the door all but bangs open, and Diesel starts yapping loudly next to my ear.

"Claire? Are you okay?" Jack sounds a little panicked as I just curl up tighter, too tired to even be embarrassed about the fact that if my blankets get ripped off that I'll be revealing more skin than I normally like to. In fact, I'm all ready to start snoring when I feel myself being picked up.

With a little bit of a shriek, I grab onto Jack's broad shoulder and lift my head, my hair going everywhere as I try to figure out where I am and what's going on. We're halfway out the door when I realize what he's doing, and I hit him and howl, "Jack, let go!"

He stops in the doorway, looking down at me with concern painted on his handsome features. Brushing my hair away from my face with one hand, he looks at me intensely before scolding, "If you're not up, something must be wrong. I'm just going to take you to go see Doctor, and then I'll just bring you right back."

I giggle a bit before shrugging it off and complaining, "I just stayed up a little too late with Gray. It's really not that big a deal, I'm fine! Can you put me down now?"

Jack pouts a bit before a smile breaks out on his face and he agrees, gently setting me on my feet as he says, "Alright, I'll put you down. I'll get started then, since you'll probably take a little bit to get ready." I resist the urge to snort at his statement before shutting the door firmly, my heart pounding as I blush and recall how close his face was to mine.

I never expected to grow so close to people in such a short time, but all the same I can't help but tell myself that it's the community that Mineral Town provides. We're so small and close knit that there's really no choice BUT to become familiar with each other, even if all you do is say hello in passing every day.

* * *

By the time the day is completely done with and Jack's ready to take off, the entire top half of the field has been cleared of its weeds and the chicken coop is completely patched up. As I look over my land, I feel a sudden surge of pride, knowing that it was my hard work that got me this far. True, I had help, but I didn't just sit around and do nothing.

I give a little start as Jack slips his arm around my shoulder in a comradely manner, pointing at the field with a dirty glove. Squeezing my shoulder comfortingly, he says low, "You did a good job, Claire. It's starting to really look good. What say we celebrate this tomorrow?"

Looking up at him, I blink before asking with a cautious tone, "Celebrate?"

Rather than giving me an answer, Jack just winks and replies, "It'll be a surprise. You'll enjoy it, I promise."

Before I can protest, I hear something clank loudly and both Jack and I turn to see Gray standing at the entrance of the farm. He's scowling, which is nothing new, but at the same time when his eyes shift to Jack's arm on my shoulder the scowl deepens.

At that small gesture, I feel like smiling, although I can't really understand why. I smile at Gray instead and say cheerfully, "Hey! Look how far we got today!"

Gray can't seem to take his eyes off of Jack's arm as he calls, "Yeah…looks great, Claire."

Before I can say anything or move, Jack squeezes my shoulder again and leans down to whisper in my ear, "I'd better let you two hang out or he'll kill me with that glare of his. In return, you're mine for all of tomorrow, okay?"

Not giving me time to protest (not that I'm about to anyways) Jack lets go and passes Gray with a nod, which my friend just ignores. Gray's eyes don't leave Jack's figure until he's completely off the farm, and then my friend runs up to me, asking roughly, "What'd he want?"

I'm can't seem to stop grinning as I blush a little and say, "Oh…nothing much."

* * *

"I don't know why you're indulging him," Gray pouts, as I play with the food Kai sets in front of me. The two of us are here hanging out with the dark-skinned sailor as he experiments on new dishes for his restaurant. I hadn't planned on telling Gray about my promise to spend a day with Jack alone, but when he pressed and pressed I ended up giving in.

As I poke at my plate, Kai walks past Gray and smacks him in the back of the head, saying, "Stop pouting, Gray. Claire's a popular girl, she's got plenty of admirer's and he's just one of them."

I giggle at that, winking at Kai as I lean forward and say in mockingly seductive voice, "And you would also be one of them, right?"

Kai winks back before calling over his shoulder, "You know I think you're cute, but I've already been….previously engaged."

Gray snorts before yelling, "Having a stalker doesn't count, Kai."

As the three of us laugh and dispute whether or not Popuri's weird obsession with Kai is normal or not, my eyes meet Gray's. He stares at me while Kai laughs about something we just said, and I understand perfectly well what he wants to do without him having to say a thing to me.

Slowly, I stand up and clear my throat, saying, "Thanks for the food Kai, but I think I'm getting ready to head home now. I've got to get to bed early tonight to be all ready for my day with Jack tomorrow. Gray, are you gonna walk home with me?"

Gray stands up, pounding Kai on the back as he does so. As the two of us wave to him and head off, he yells after us, "Just get together already, you stupid couple!"

I'm blushing furiously, I'm sure of it as Kai slams the door to his restaurant and Gray and I stand there in silence on the beach. We stay like that for a few minutes before Gray just shakes his head and mutters, "Kai's so stupid."

"Yeah," I agree, although my heart seems to sink a little as I continue, "I mean, you obviously have this thing for Mary and I really like Jack so…"

When Gray's face grows sullen again at the mention of Jack, I feel myself frown. I'm starting to get really tired of his terrible attitude towards this guy; for once in my life I've got someone who's helping me out and trying to take care of me.

What could possibly be bothering him?

Angrily, I cross my arms and accuse, "Honestly, the way you act about Jack is just ridiculous. You'd think the guy is just using me or something."

Gray flushes bright red at this comment before growling, "I don't think that…I just don't like him for you. I guess…he just doesn't give me a good feeling."

"But why?"

"I don't know!" Gray finally yells at me. Whirling on me furiously, he grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me, saying, "Can't you just….not be so close to him?"

I wrench myself out of his grasp, looking at him with a hurt face as I mutter, "I thought you were my friend. I thought you'd be happy that someone's taking an interest in me."

Gray opens his mouth to say more when I toss my hair back and look at him with defiant eyes, saying, "Don't you get it Gray? I'm not some cute, innocent girl like Mary. I'm no beauty like Karen, and I'm not half as willing or cheerful as Popuri and Ann. I'm not even sweet, like Elli! I'm just ME. And no one's ever seemed to care for me to just be who I am until now. Can't you be happy for me?"

He seems dumbfounded at this statement, and before I can let him say anything else to hurt me I turn on my heel and start walking off. He goes to call after me, but I ignore it and just walk faster.

I can't understand him anymore.

* * *

"Claire, you okay? You seem kind of….well, down," Jack admits as we sit on a haystack in my barn, playing with Diesel. I play with the hay before flopping down into it and groaning. Today was supposed to be our day to just chill, and I'm spending most of it moping about my fight with Gray.

When I don't answer, Jack just sighs before scooting closer to me and picking through my long hair, sorting out the strands of hay. We sit there in silence for another moment before he says my name gently, the low ring in his voice causing me to blush as he does so.

"Claire," he says, and then his hand is under my chin, lifting my face so that I find myself staring straight into his eyes. "Let's have some fun, shall we?"

* * *

When the cold water hits my bare thighs, I shriek with laughter before splashing back at Jack, who just yells and dances away, laughing every bit as hard as I am. After our moment in the haystack, he all but grabbed me and ran off my farm. I didn't understand what he was doing until we got to the spring and he threw me into the water, clothes and all.

It's been an hour now that we've been playing here in the clear water, and I'm feeling really good about everything again. He can tell, because rather than coming close to splash me again he takes a cautious step towards me before smiling and saying, "There it is."

As he smiles at me, I blush a little and burst out, "Where what is?"

Reaching out, he lets his fingers dance across my cold cheek gently and I shiver a bit at the cold temperature of his skin as he murmurs, "You're pretty smile. I've missed it all morning, Claire."

In that moment, everything seems to freeze as I focus in on how close he's come towards me. I'm no longer shivering due to the cold of his fingers; rather, I can't seem to figure out why my heart's pounding so quickly. As I stand there, flustered, he lets his hands drop to my shoulder where he slowly runs his thumb over my skin before murmuring, "I want to keep you smiling like this…can I?"

Clearing my throat nervously, I feel my face heating up again as I stutter out, "C-can you what?"

Moving still closer, Jack tilts my chin up and my eyes half close. Just before I feel the cool sensation of his lips on mine, I hear him whisper, "Can you let me love you?"

* * *

**My goodness, look at how time flies! Terribly, terribly sorry about the wait everyone XD I've been very busy though, so it wasn't all wasted time-school, jobs, whatnot. Anyways, I've only this one chapter, but I'll soon be done with another one and hopefully have that posted within a week or so. **

**Do forgive me for the enormous amount of time I've let go by between posts XD Anyways, au revoir, until my next update! Thanks for reading very much! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

_**~~Gray~~**_

I shouldn't have been such a jerk to Claire last night, I know that now. She's just happy that someone's taking an interest in her, since everyone else in this town already seems to have some kind of predestined soul mate thing going on with another person.

As I sit on my bed, thinking about exactly how I'm going to apologize for my latest blunder, I hear giggling and the sound of feet stomping up the stairs. It's easy to identify Ann's laughter; all I have to do is look over at Cliff and notice how he shifts from one foot to the other nervously, wondering if she's coming in our room. The other laugh is Claire's-I'd know her laugh anywhere.

Kai, Cliff, and I freeze as the two of them say something muffled in the hallway, before the door slams and the sound drops off. It seems that they've gone into Jack's room. When I glance at the clock, I realize that it's Ann's time to clean over there, and that she must have dragged Claire up with her so that they could talk about something.

Kai voices my thoughts, saying, "Bet they're talking about what happened today. I bet that Jack made a move on your girl."

"Claire's not my girl," I snarl back, "She's just….a really good friend, okay?"

Geez. Even to my ears my words sound unconvincing, but at this point I could care less that I'm more concerned about Claire than I am about Mary. I HAVE to know what happened, and it seems that the only way I can do that is to sneak up and listen in on the girls' conversation.

Before I leave to eavesdrop, I shoot a glare at my roommates, as if to let them know that if either one of them rats me out they'll regret it. Kai just waves me off, a smirk on his face, while Cliff turns to look out the window.

Quietly, I creep out into the hallway before settling down against the door, my ear pressed against the wood to listen in. There's more laughter, before Ann finally says something.

"So, what happened? Tell me everything!" the redhead squeals, and I wriggle a bit in anticipation, wanting to know the same thing Ann does.

Claire sighs almost dreamily before saying, "He kissed me….and asked me to be his girlfriend…."

As Ann shrieks, I feel my heart plummet in my chest. Suddenly, I get the feeling of being sick to my stomach, and I cringe and grab at the fabric near my chest as I listen in and desperately hope that nothing else drastic happened.

There's a silence, then Ann asks, "Claire, what's wrong? Don't you want to date Jack?"

"I do, I do!" she reassures Ann hurriedly, but then there's a slight pause. "I just….Promise you won't tell anyone this?"

"Of course not!"

Claire's silent for another moment, before she nearly whispers, "When I was kissing Jack, all I could think about was Gray." I can almost see her blushing as she continues, "He just popped into my head and….And well, I don't know. I like Jack, I really do, but for some reason Gray's the one who keeps showing up when I close my eyes."

While Ann deliberates this, I sink to the floor, my own heart pounding rapidly. To think that I haven't left her mind, but am there when she kisses another guy…but wait.

Why am I getting so worked up about everything? Don't I like Mary?

Like an echo, Kai's words from earlier today drift through my mind. The two of us had been talking about something when he'd called me out on not paying attention to him.

"_You're thinking about Claire again, aren't you?" he said. "Why don't you just admit it already? It's not really Mary you like-it's Claire."_

For a second, I hold my breath and really consider this as a possibility. I like Claire…but do I really LIKE her?

Closing my eyes as I lean against the cool wall, I think about my best friend.

The first thing that comes to mind is her blue eyes-so bright blue that you can't help but notice them when you first meet her. Then there's her long hair that is always messy but somehow manages to look good anyways.

There's her smile.

She's got a really nice smile. And she smells like sunshine.

Claire laughs again, and the sound seems to reverberate in my ears before I open my eyes again and feel my face heating up.

Oh Goddess…how stupid am I?

Of course I like Claire.

* * *

I wake up to the sound of feet running down the hallway. Groaning, I turn over and wrap the covers tighter around myself, encasing my body in the material in the hopes that if the owner of the footsteps is Ann, she'll go away.

After my realization last night, I literally wanted to crawl into a hole and just die. Not only do I now feel terrible at how well she and Jack are getting along, but I feel even worse that I just now noticed my feelings and can't do anything about them.

To my chagrin, the footsteps get even louder, and I'm about to turn over to yell at the door when the wood bangs loudly against the wall and I wince instead. Before I can complain about the noise to whoever it is, the footsteps accelerate and the next thing I know I'm being squashed underneath Claire, who giggles low and says, "Good morning, sleepyhead."

If this had happened before last night, this would be no problem. In fact, this isn't the first time she's done this; running into my room and just attacking me to make me get up early on my days off. Problem is that now she's not just Claire anymore; she's so much more than that.

Instead of grumbling and just ignoring it the way I normally would, I instantly feel myself start to heat up as she leans down to look into my face curiously. Quickly, I sit up and end up knocking her off. With a squeal, she falls off the bed and I take a deep breath as fast as I can, hoping that in doing so I can manage to calm my suddenly racing heart and cool my face down.

Luckily, she hasn't noticed a thing; she's too busy grumbling about being thrown to the floor to worry about my appearance right now, much less that I'm obviously more jittery than normal around her.

As she gets up and brushes off the front of her overalls, she reaches out and ruffles my hair playfully, teasing, "Honestly, you'd think that this was the first time I'd ever sat on you or something, the way you're acting!"

Ducking out of her reach, I mumble, "Just cause I'm used to it, doesn't mean I have to like it."

"True," she agrees, before grinning her mischievous smile at me and settling herself down on the edge of my bed. Letting her hand fall to her knee, her finger traces patterns on the kneecap as she avoids my gaze and says, "So about Jack…"

I don't like where this is going.

It isn't as if I don't know what happened; hell, it's because I know what happened that I understand that what I'm feeling isn't something to be laughed at. But if I hear her say the words to me, somehow that'll make it that much more final that she's with someone.

And I don't like the idea of that at all.

Claire doesn't give me time to protest though, as she immediately rushes out, "We're dating. Jack and I. I just want you to know that…and know that even if you don't like it you can't go back on your promise of being friends with me, just as I won't go back on that same promise to you."

When I glance at her, I can see that she's giving me a look, as if she's waiting for me to say something like, "Don't date Jack." As temping as the idea of saying so is, I bite my tongue and look down. I can say I hate Jack all I want, but the fact of the matter remains that he makes Claire happy.

I wonder a bit about what she meant last night, when talking about me, but overall it was clear that Jack has made more than a good impression on her.

How can a rude, bossy, selfish guy like me compete with that?

When I don't say anything, she gives a little sigh before climbing over my legs and leaning in to wrap her arms around me, her head falling against my chest as she hugs me close. I turn bright red, but slowly drape my arms around her delicate figure, willing my hands not to tremble as they gently rest on her back.

"Thanks, Gray," she tells me, as if my silence has been some sort of signal for approval.

I want to hug her tighter than this.

I want to pull her into my chest and really hug her. I want to tell her no, don't be with Jack.

I want to tell her how much of an idiot I am, but I can't. Right now, I can't bring myself to criticize Jack when I'm not even able to express my own feelings properly.

Claire pulls away, breaking off the hug, to look at me curiously. "You're quieter than usual," she remarks, peering at me suspiciously as if I'm hiding something from her.

Trying to wave it off, I shrug and say, "Well I'm in my boxers underneath these covers, so if you don't mind leaving so I can at least put on some pants…" It takes all my willpower to not blush when I say so, but Claire still turns pink before leaping up and dancing out the door, closing it behind her. Through the door, she calls, "Hurry up and change then, we've got plans today."

Despite the fact that I feel like things aren't right and I need to fix them, the sound of spending my day with Claire is all the motivation I need to get to my feet and grab some decent clothes.

* * *

As Claire leads the way towards the library, I reluctantly follow behind her. It's only a week until the firework show, and as of now I still don't have a date. While asking Mary will probably work, I can't help but want to not ask anyways.

What's the point in asking someone you don't even really want to go with?

Once we reach the door to the library, she clears her throat meaningfully and turns to survey me, reaching out to straighten my collar. Watching her, I can't help the faint blush that creeps across my cheeks as she puts on her adorable concentration face. Her nose is scrunched just a little, and she looks determined to make me look just right.

"Now Gray, remember that you've only got today to do this, so you better just ask her!" Claire lectures me, reaching up to straighten my hat now. Rather than avoiding her hand, I allow her to set my hat just right as I look back down and mutter, "It's really not that big a deal, Claire."

She just gives me a look before saying, "Not a big deal? The girl you've been going on and on about for months is not a big deal?"

Looking away, I shrug and say, "Well maybe I've decided that there's someone else I like….someone I like even more."

For a second it seems like Claire actually believes me; she steps even closer with a look of curiosity in her eyes. Then she snorts, and I know she took my words like the joke that they probably sound like to her.

"Just get in there already," she says, shoving me from behind into the building. I stumble a bit before catching myself and straightening up. Luckily, no one is here to have seen that, as Mary is the only one in the library around these times and she usually spends mornings straightening out the upstairs bookshelves.

When the meek librarian comes down, I grit my teeth before calling out, "Mary?" She looks up, blushes a bit, then walks over to me and pushes up her glasses with an expectant look.

"Can I help you?" she asks calmly, and I think of all the times before when she said that how I would have blushed.

No, she can't help me.

Not anymore.

* * *

**So yeah, progress is about as slow as ever, what with all the constant tests, and work and stuff. But it's getting there. Slowly but surely, getting there. This isn't going to be a fifty long chapter story-at least, that's not my plan for it. It's going to be relatively short compared to my other ones. **

**Anyways, thanks for being so patient, and thanks for reading and reviewing! You guys are the best! :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**_~~~~Claire~~~~_**

Honestly, the way Gray's been acting since this morning has been getting on my nerves. He's jumpy, and fidgety, and refuses to look me in the eye.

The way he's acting is enough to make me feel like he heard my conversation with Ann last nig

It wasn't such a big deal, at least not in Ann's mind. While I freaked out about the fact that Gray was the one popping into my head while I was kissing this other guy that I allegedly like, Ann sat there in silence and thought long and hard about it. When I finally got an answer out of her, she just told me not to worry about it, although the look on her face had seemed to say something else.

While I wait for Gray to finish asking Mary, I get the weird feeling of wanting to stop him. To be honest with myself, it's been dogging me all morning; the idea that I shouldn't push him into something with Mary. As much as I'd like to go with my gut instinct and just leave him alone and not push him into being a couple with her, I keep telling myself it's just some weird protective friend thing.

At least, I think it is.

* * *

Gray finally emerges from the library, looking grumpier than ever despite the fact that he finally asked the girl he likes to the firework show at the end of the week. His grumpy look makes me wonder for a second if he was rejected by her. The thought makes me feel better, but I shake the weird feeling off and try to arrange a concerned look on my face.

"What? What happened? Did she say yes?" I demand, looking at him earnestly. Gray just grunts before pulling his hat down to shade his eyes. We stand there in silence, not looking at each other until he finally answers begrudgingly, "Yeah. She said yes."

I smile at him before pronouncing, "Great! So you, me, Mary, and Jack can all go out together that night for dinner before the fireworks start!"

When I get a scowl from him, I frown. I know full well that he despises Jack, although I can never seem to get a straight answer about why this is so. It's one of the downsides of being friends with Gray; he'll tell you things, but not always the things you want to hear. I decide to ignore his obvious lack of enthusiasm at the idea of a double date, and instead swirl around on my heel. As I start walking towards the winery, I listen for the sound of my friend's footsteps as he catches up to me, before he finally falls into step with me.

"So, where are we going now?" he voices his thoughts, although I say nothing and just keep walking. We continue on that way, in silence, for awhile until we've reached the bottom of Mother's Hill. As butterflies dance around us and the sun makes the lake's surface shine, I sit down and pat the ground next to me, inviting him to join me.

He does so, but not before shifting slightly away from me. Normally this would bother me, but considering that at this point I'm trying to figure out why Gray keeps showing up in my head when he shouldn't, I'm okay with it. We sit there for another fifteen minutes before he remarks casually, "So you never did tell me about your family…"

I glare at him slightly, before complaining, "It's not terribly important to you, is it? My life, that is. Or my past."

Despite the fact that we've grown so close, the two of us still avoid talking about our families. We had a conversation about it once, but all that was mentioned was that neither one of us wanted to talk about it. To be completely honest, it isn't as if I'm hiding anything. I have no deep, dark past.

But the thing is, what if Gray's hiding some sort of tragedy?

While I'd like to hear it, at the same time it makes me feel like I won't know what to do or what to say, and not being able to help him is a big deal for me. How could I call myself his friend if I can't even help him out, or give him some advice about what to do?

My musing is interrupted as Gray clears his throat impatiently and looks at me expectantly. Seems I'm not getting out of this one, whether I'd like to or not.

With a loud sigh, I sit back on my hands and say, "My family and I don't get along too well, to say the least. I basically ran away, and it's been about a year since then. They haven't looked for me, so I'm assuming they're as glad to be rid of me as I am of them."

Gray looks troubled before he asks, "You…ran away?"

I throw back my head and laugh before saying, "They never seemed to understand the way I think and because of that my mother and I often fought. I was actually engaged to be married before I left."

These last words seem to throw Gray for a loop as he scrambles backwards and shakes his head furiously, giving me a disbelieving look. Reaching over to poke me lightly, he huffs out, "It's not funny to joke about that kind of thing Claire. Seriously, what's up with you and your family?"

* * *

Later that night, as I sit on my bed and watch the little tv for the weather forecast, I can't help but sigh. Of course he wouldn't have believed such a ludicrous sounding story. He'd spent the entire afternoon trying to get me to tell him my 'real' story, so in the end I'd just made up some crap about having been raised by some aunt and having been sent off into the world on my own.

I bite my lip and cuddle closer to Diesel. Turning the puppy to face me, I begin to mutter and talk to him as if he was Gray.

"You ought to believe people when they tell you things," I say grumpily, while Diesel's paws dangle in midair and his little tail wags happily as I address him. "Honestly Gray, why would I lie about something that ridiculous?"

Diesel's tongue pokes out and his tail wags even more furiously as I hold him up higher and chastise, "It's a very serious matter you know, to have run away from an engagement to a Duke. Mother wasn't pleased at all when I refused to even meet him, and I'm sure she was more than furious when she found out I'd left. "

I sigh and put Diesel down, but at that moment my door bangs open and I find myself staring at Jack, who stares back at me as if I'm some kind of alien. The bag he was holding over his shoulder drops slowly from his grasp, and he steps towards me with a weird look in his eyes as he asks, "Claire? What was that all about?"

With a gasp, I leap up and pull him inside before shutting the door roughly. Then, turning to him I say frantically, "Don't tell anyone, okay?"

Jack chuckles weakly before saying, "Tell anyone what? That you're a runaway, and from a wealthy family at that?"

My next words get caught in my throat, and I'm feel like I'm about to be on the verge of tears when Jack's fingers softly brush across my cheek.

"Hey," he says in a low voice, "I'm not going to sell out my own girlfriend. And besides, even if I did who would believe me?"

My gaze meets his, and I blink in shock as I find he looks completely serious about all this.

He believes me?

I guess my expression is more dumbfounded than I thought, because Jack really laughs now before leaning in to give me a kiss on the cheek. Brushing some hair back from my face, he tilts my chin up to kiss me before pulling back with a huge grin on his face.

"I knew you were some kind of aristocrat, the first time I took you out to dinner. You do a good job of hiding any wealthy background you might have had except when it comes down to a few mannerisms. You ate so properly that I knew there was no way you were just some city girl! After that, I started noticing other little things, like the way you walk with your chin tilted upwards and your back straight, or your handwriting."

"What's wrong with my handwriting?" I demand, but Jack just laughs and pulls me in for another hug as he says into my hair, "Don't you know Claire? The only people who write in cursive and in script are either the highly educated or the extremely rich. I figured you were no doctor, so it had to be the second one."

He puts me at arms length to look at me before winking and saying, "I always thought you were a princess, but now I'm sure." Getting down on one knee, he holds my hand and kisses it gently before asking, "Can I be your knight then? I'll protect you forever, I swear it."

I look down at Jack as my heart pounds, but before I can say yes an image of a forlorn looking Gray flashes into my mind and my heart twists wretchedly. It's happening again-how can Gray keep showing up at romantic gestures like this?

Taking a deep breath, I will the image away before looking back down at Jack and saying, "Forever?"

I shiver ever so slightly as one side of Jack's mouth turns upwards in a slightly different smile as he stands up and pulls me close, whispering darkly, "Forever."

* * *

**And just a hint of filler chapter here...seriously, apologies for how long it's taken me for this last update, but I was out of commission for awhile; I had an accident at work which rendered me unable to use one of my fingers properly XD So typing was sort of out of the question for a bit. It's all better now, so I finally finished what I could and here it is! I'll try and update more frequently once I catch up with everything and refigure out my ideas again XD **

**Well, until then, TA!**


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